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This is a continuation of my previous question.

So, I went to my local home improvement store and bought some gear - the roof hooks (see previous question) and another, longer ladder.

The ladder in particular is this one:

enter image description here

That was the only ladder that was both long enough (at least 6m), and could fit (barely) in my car.

Then I went back and tried to get on the roof... but still failed. So now I have more questions.

First - is this the right ladder after all? Note the hooks on the bottoms that the ladder pieces use to hold together when extended. They're open on the bottom. This works nicely when the ladder is standing on the ground, but not so much when it's hanging from the hooks. I tried securing them together with some rope, which I think might have worked, although it was a bit dubious. However I didn't really get to use it because of the second problem.

Second - how do I use it anyway? At first I tried using my smaller ladder to get to the edge of the roof and then roll the big ladder up the roof, as demonstrated by this fabulous schematic:

enter image description here

By mustering all my force I could get the big ladder where it needed to be... but I couldn't flip it over. I needed my left hand to hold on to the smaller ladder, and the big ladder was too heavy to flip it with just one of my hands. If I was to let go of the small ladder, the weight of the big one would topple me over backwards.

Then I tried the opposite - I attached the hook to the small ladder and tried to use the big ladder to get halfway. Like this:

enter image description here

This time I couldn't even get halfway up between the ground and the roof edge. The big ladder started to sag dangerously. It's really not made for such a shallow angle.

Then it started raining and I had to abandon my efforts for the day.

I'm going back tomorrow and... any tips?

Machavity
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Vilx-
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2 Answers2

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Shingles can be stepped upon, unless the roof has rotted out beneath them. If you want to do that, you want a ladder long enough to extend over the roof edge by several feet, so you can step from ladder onto roof and back without awkward twisting and while having something to hold onto.

Lifting a ladder takes strength and leverage. I really wouldn't suggest doing it one-handed, I'm afraid. And having someone else to steady the ladder as you climb helps a lot.

Sometimes the right answer is scaffolding or a lift rather than a ladder.

keshlam
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Is this the right ladder after all?

No. I've not seen ladders like this and it's not practical in any way, since you cannot adjust the angle easily. You need an extension ladder, not this extension/A-frame combo you have currently. You probably spent more on this than the mere extension would run you.

I would highly recommend buying a fiberglass extension ladder (like this one) instead of a pure aluminum. They support more weight, and tend to have better bulk to limit sliding (mine has a rubber guard on top for use against siding)

Machavity
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